Steel wheel.



W. E. WILLIAMS.

STEEL WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1912.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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En sfrafrns Pii'inia" WILLIAM ERSTUS WILLIAMS, `0F CHICAGO, ILLINGIS;

s'rnnL WHEEL.

Specilcaton of Letters Batent. Patented Mang/i165, 19d-'5,

.Application illed Hay 22, 19,12. Serial No. 698,980.

folly, usually encircle by a suitable tire orrim.

ln the. accompanying drawings, Figure -1 shows in radial section assembled' unconnected wheel members. Fig. 2 shows the same members united as in the complete wheel.

In said figures, 1 represents a sheet steel body web preferably having outwardly tapering cor'rugations radiatingfrpm a hub 2, and 3, 4 are duplicate angle' iron rings placed, in registry, against opposite faces, respectively, of the plane outer marginal portion of the web and each cut away adjacent to the web so that the peripheral portion, 6, of the latter has an annular groovev? alongside each of its faces, so that the web might be considered as projecting into the middle of a broad peripheral felly groove.-

The rings when assembled with the web are united/ thereto by spot welding at 5, the union' being at some distance from the inner margins of the i'ing lian es so that the web metal is not aifected by eat, nor joinedto the rings with absolute rigidity at 9, where strains and vibrations tend to be focused. The rings and wheel center web being firmly held together, the projecting portion of the web and the bottom of the groove are fused or welded together, usually by an electric condition, and upon this zone of union is supcrposod the mass of metal originally projecting within the groove but now integrally connected with the rings, on each side, to a considerable distance from e webs plane. All this mass, left rough or not, lies clearly within the fellys Outeisurface and all of it adds strength to the wheel. A rim or tirel l0, of any suitable cross section but show-'ii as a simple metal band, is usually added'in the'l l ordinary way. Were the rings non-grooved, or of ordinary forni, the welding would nece essaril'y be done by fusing the outer rin surface metal and the the web, and the depth of welding would almost necessarily be slight since greater depth could be obtained only by heat long applied or of great intensity, either tending to injure the surface metal. And practically, the surface metal could not be .lett smooth but portions would project, so that the felly niust be turned or ground to re move them, thus weakening the wheel in any case, and often additionally leaving Xery slight depth of welded metal, from which no flux could carry oXids as in hammer welding. Grooved rings avoid all these evils, the weld below the bottom of the groove being at least as strongas the only weld of the other construction and the mass in the groove itself forming a ar stronger connection; and, withal, there is no reason for incurring the danger ot injury to the metal in seeking deep welding.

lVliat I claim is:

l. In a wheel of the class described, the combination with a metal wheel web having on each side of its marginal portion an annular laterally projecting mass of two equal annular fclly. members located on opposite sides of said'portion and each peripherally intervening margin o grooved on the side next said web to receive tions lying wliolly within the general peripheral' surface of the two ielly members andlbeing rigidly secured tothe latter.

2. In a metal wheel, the combination with a sheet steel web, of two equal and register ing felly rings fitting against opposite sides of the peripheral .portion of said web and each out away to fornra groove adjacent to the latter, and a metal tire encircling andA covering said rings; saidweb being provide` with an annular projecting portion. extending into the corresponding groove, o'n each side, and integrally united, in the groove, to the metal of the rings. f

3. In a wheel of the class described, the combination with ashcet steel center or web, of two registering felly rings located upon opposite sides ofthe marginal portion of said web and each provided with an animlar groove adjacent to the latter, the marginal portion of `the web extending into both grooves, Within the genera peripheral surface of the rings, and rigidiy connected to both rings throughou': the entire Circle of the grooves.

l. A metal Wheel comprising a central web, and two equal, annular registering feily rings lying on opposite faces of the web and each out away to form adjacent to the web a peripheral groove, the entire marginal portion of the web being T-lke in radial seo-tion7 Wholly Within the general pemamen ripheral surface of the rings and having its body and laterally projecting masses integrally united with said rings around the entire circumference.

In witness whereof have hereunto signed my name at the city of Chicago, 111.7 on this 529Mo day of August, 1911, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM ERASTUS WILLI-AMS. 'Vitnesses:

VINrnLD S. VILLIAMS, F. C. MILLER. 

